The end of October is quickly approaching and temperatures in the Midwest have finally made the transition into Fall. It’s a perfect time of year to feature a recipe with classic bean soup taste mixed with the sweet and savory flavors of the season.

It was exactly a year ago today that Pumpkin Lentil Soup was featured on the Hurst Bean Blog. In the last few weeks, the delicious soup has been one of our most sought after recipes on the site. So in the spirit of Halloween, here’s another great recipe that features pumpkin and works perfect for the cold nights in the weeks ahead.

What you need:

1. 1 package (20 oz.) Hurst’s Great Northern HamBeens®
2. 2 ham hocks
3. 1 can pumpkin (not pie mix)
4. 1 large yellow onion, diced (approx. 2 cups)
5. 1 cup sliced carrot (small rounds work great)
6. 1 cup diced potato
7. 1/2 tsp. allspice
8. 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
9. 1/2 tsp. clove
10. 1/2 tsp cumin
11. 1/4 tsp. cayenne
12. 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
13. 1/2 cup heavy cream
14. 1/2 cup apple cider
15. 7 cups of water
16. 3 tbsp. chopped chives (garnish)

1. Dump the beans into a colander or sieve. Rinse and sort through the dry beans checking for any unwanted debris. Pour into a large bowl or pot and cover with at least 2″ of warm water. Allow the beans to soak for at least 4 hours, up to overnight. Discard the excess water.

2. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and carrot in a small amount of olive oil. When the onions become translucent, add the water, ham hocks, and soaked beans.

3. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer (covered) for 60 minutes, stirring periodically.

4. After 60 minutes, check the beans for tenderness. If fully cooked, remove the ham hocks (you can either discard, or trim the meat and add back to the soup). Next add the can of pumpkin, apple cider, spices, and Hurst’s Ham Flavor packet.

5. Cook stew for additional 10 minutes, then stir in the heavy cream. Serve hot with the chopped chive for garnish. Works great in a crusty bread bowl too!

This is our submission for My Legume Love Affair #28, hosted by Dil Se… (MLLA is a monthly blog event started by Susan Wolfe @ The Well Seasoned Cook)